--- title: Smart contracts events _Follow along with this video:_ --- ### Tracking participants Ok, our user paid the entrance fee, but how do we track his registration? We can't simply take the money and run! We need a storage structure that keeps track of all registered users from where to pick the winner. Take a moment and decide what would be the best from the following: 1. Mapping 2. Array 3. A bunch of address variables and limit the number of participants . . . Congratulations if you chose the **Array** option! To be more specific, a dynamic array that grows in size with each new participant. Mappings can't be looped through, and a bunch of address variables is not feasible. Add the array below the `i_entranceFee` declaration: `address payable[] private s_players;` We've made it `address payable` because one of the participants registered in this array will be paid the ETH prize, hence the need for the `payable` attribute. Back in the `enterRaffle` function, we need to add the address that paid into the `s_players` array: ```solidity function enterRaffle() external payable { if(msg.value < i_entranceFee) revert Raffle__NotEnoughEthSent(); s_players.push(payable(msg.sender)); } ``` The `.push` method is used to append an element to an array, increasing its length by 1. `s_players.push(payable(msg.sender));` performs a modification of the state by adding the payable address `msg.sender` in the array. It is customary to emit an **event** every time we perform a state modification. ### Events Events are a way for smart contracts to communicate with the outside world, primarily with the front-end applications that interact with these contracts. Events are logs that the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) stores in a special data structure known as the blockchain log. These logs can be efficiently accessed and filtered by external applications, such as dApps (decentralized applications) or off-chain services. The logs can also be accessed from the blockchain nodes. Each emitted event is tied up to the smart contract that emitted it. Please click [here](https://docs.soliditylang.org/en/v0.8.25/contracts.html#events) to find out more about events. How can we use events? Imagine we have a more complex function that changes an important parameter, let's say we are recording the exchange rate of BTC/USDC. We change it by calling the function `changeER()`. After we perform the call and the exchange rate is changed we need to make sure this also gets picked up by our front-end. We make the front-end listen for the `BTCUSDCupdated` event. An example of that event could be this: ```solidity event BTCUSDCupdated( uint256 indexed oldER, uint256 indexed newER, uint256 timestamp, address sender ) ``` You will see that some of the emitted parameters are indexed and some are not. Indexed parameters, also called `topics`, are much more easy to search than non-indexed ones. For an event to be logged we need to emit it. Let's come back to our `Raffle` contract where we'll also learn how to emit them. First, we define the event (be mindful of where the events should go in terms of our defined layout) ```solidity event EnteredRaffle(address indexed player); ``` Then, we emit it in `enterRaffle`: ```solidity function enterRaffle() external payable { if(msg.value < i_entranceFee) revert Raffle__NotEnoughEthSent(); s_players.push(payable(msg.sender)); emit EnteredRaffle(msg.sender); } ``` Great! I know there is a possibility you don't quite understand the importance/usage of this event, but don't worry, we'll get back to it in the testing section. But before that, let's discuss randomness.